Thread: strop dressing?

How often should strop dressing be applied (assuming you're stropping each day or every other day before a shave)?

Almost never as long as you give your strop 10 hand-rubs before each stropping.

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

Almost never as long as you give your strop 10 hand-rubs before each stropping.

Why's that??

Natural oils from your skin condition the leather and the rubbing gets it nice, warm and supple, which improves stropping performance.

Steve,

Strops need attention, just like dogs or cats. A happy strop retains more moisture and needs less conditioner.

OK, maybe not. The oils in your skin will condition the strop gradually, keep it soft. Plus the rubbing warms up the leather and gives it better draw.

Josh

I've dressed my new strop a few times....

I've heard that about the "hand treatment" as well. it works well!

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

Steve,

Strops need attention, just like dogs or cats. A happy strop retains more moisture and needs less conditioner.

Josh

I see, so the rasping sound people hear when they strop is actually a purr

Seriously, thanks guys for the info. I knew you had to rub it occasionally, I just never knew the reason for it.

Some of it are the natural oils in your skin, but I suspect a lot of it is also just buffing the surface and the stretching and flexing keeps it supple and soft.

The latigo side of my handamerican develops a heavy draw after a few days use unless I rub it, and it doesn't seem to matter if I've just washed my hands or not. I don't like heavy draws, so it gets the daily petting

Originally Posted by mparker762

so it gets the daily petting

OK, I worded my reply meticulously to avoid going here, but clearly things are going to get out of hand anyway. It's all downhill now.

Josh